More than 200 buyers of clean-energy vehicles in B.C. have shared more than $1 million in incentives as part of the province's program to promote zero-emission vehicle ownership.
CEV for B.C. (Clean Energy Vehicles for British Columbia) is a point-of-sale incentive program that takes up to $5,000 off the pre-tax sticker price of eligible clean-energy vehicles - typically electric but also includes hydrogen fuel cell and compressed natural gas-powered vehicles. The incentives came into effect in December 2011. The program is administered by the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. on behalf of the provincial government.
"We expect to see even more interest in the program as more eligible vehicles arrive in B.C., additional charging infrastructure is deployed, and awareness of the incentives continues to grow," says Blair Qualey, association president and CEO.
"There is a definite interest in these vehicles as over 73 per cent of the 968 people surveyed by our team this year indicated that they are considering a clean-energy vehicle for their next purchase."
There are 17 vehicles eligible for incentives, including the latest addition to the list: the 2012 Ford Focus Electric. According to the organization, the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are the three top-selling clean-energy vehicles in the province.
